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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Mindful Diapering

“Why do you cloth diaper?” Often the question comes and I just don’t know quite how to answer. It’s not that I don’t know, it’s that the answer is hard to say. Yes the cuteness. Ewe the landfills. Woo hoo to money savings. Oh the chemicals. Yay US companies. To all of these reasons and more, yes I use cloth.

What I’d really like to say is I’m trying to live mindfully. I hold back because that’s more an accusation than a response. It sets the other individual on the defensive, “So I’m NOT mindful?” But see, when I say it’s about mindfulness, I mean it’s about me being aware of my actions. I don’t necessarily know if they are mindful, and frankly my answer isn’t about them. Should I strive to be less aware so as to not make others uncomfortable? That just doesn’t help anyone or anything.

In this society of materialism and rush, I try to make choices that are mindful. I fail many times every day, but I try to think about how what I do affects not just me and not just my family, but also other people, their families, animals, the environment, and our societal values at large. I don’t say any of this to answer the question because it all sounds a little self-aggrandizing. For the record, I don’t think I alone am so important that my little household budget can change the world. I DO think my actions make a difference though, especially if we ALL became a little more aware of our actions. I don’t say any of that either, because it makes everyone feel guilty including myself. What a responsibility to take on. We all are already doing so much.

I find that mindfulness helps me do a little less though. It has led me to clean out closets and differentiate between needs and wants. Mindfulness helps to see rough spots in the day as just that—spots that quickly smooth if I give them only the little attention they warrant. Mindfulness is partly responsible for my healthy marriage where I think more of our needs rather than just mine. It removes stress from my life, giving me time to further enjoy and notice the good that abounds. Mindfulness encourages me to make purchases that sustain other people, family, animals, and the environment rather than take advantage, harm, or, at worst, destroy. When I can I consider manufacturing practices and think they are always important, even on our tight budget.

This doesn’t mean we have the least amount of diapers in the most simple of design (whatever that would mean). We’ve spent a pretty penny or two at Kelly’s Closet. I look forward to when new prints come out and hope I can budget to nab one or two. I love to see other people’s pretty stashes of all shapes and sizes. I could talk about diapers for a large chunk of the day (and have!). But cloth is about more than that. It’s about work at home moms and dads who have vision and scrape it into something gorgeous, useful, and effective. Cloth impacts the environment by NOT contributing to waste or the excessive use of materials and chemicals. In a society where we look for the lowest price, a “good value” has turned into something cheap and disposable as opposed to long-lasting quality. Cloth makes a dollar more valuable. And investing extra dollars in the product means valuing the creators and manufacturers too.

But really… who wants to hear all of that? So why do I cloth diaper? For my family, small businesses, and the environment. And yeah, they’re cute.

By Lynette

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